Devices for preparation of a beverage such as coffee or tea from ingredients containing capsules are well-known in the prior art. These devices are generally stationary devices equipped with a liquid tank, a pump and heating means in order to provide pressurized, heated liquid through a capsule inserted into the device. The liquid is injected into the capsule and will interact with the ingredients provided in the capsule. The resulting beverage is then drained from the capsule and may be collected in a dedicated receiving vessel.
A drawback of the known systems is the fact that these devices are designed for stationary use only. This means that the device has to be placed at a fixed location within the household, close to a main power supply. In addition, the device has to be placed close to a water supply in order to enable filling or re-filling of the liquid into a liquid tank of the device. The beverage preparation can thus only be carried out at a predefined stationary location of the device.
Therefore, portable devices have been proposed which enable the preparation and provision of a hot beverage such as in particular a coffee beverage at remote places.
EP 1 277 428 for example relates to an espresso coffee machine designed for use in conjunction with a low-voltage power supply of a vehicle, the machine comprising a water reservoir connected to a pump to convey water to a heating element, which itself is connected to an extraction head for providing a portion of coffee. The extraction head of the device is arranged for pouring a predefined portion of coffee beverage from above into a provided receiving vessel.
US 2009/0029021 relates to a portable device for brewing a coffee beverage, the device comprising a water tank, a housing including a chamber presenting a hot water feed nozzle and an opening through which a fill of brew preparation can be inserted, a closure part for closing said chamber, means connected to the tank to act during a brewing cycle to deliver a certain volume of water that has been raised to a brewing temperature from said tank to said chamber, and a brew outflow orifice from which the resulting beverage may be poured into a suitable receiving vessel. The body of the device includes handle means enabling the outflow orifice to be placed, during the brewing cycle, to face down towards a receptacle such as e.g. a cup for collecting the beverage.
A drawback of the known devices is the fact the beverage preparation devices usually comprise a simple outlet orifice or outlet duct from which the beverage is drained into a dedicated receptacle by means of gravity or by means of tilting the beverage preparation device. In particular in the field portable devices, this may lead to residue of water and/or coffee beverage to be drained from a beverage brewing unit of the device to the outlet orifice during transport of the device.
Therefore, in view of the known prior art, a beverage preparation device is sought-after which overcomes the above-identified drawback of the prior art. In particular, an enhanced and safe closing of a fluid communication between a beverage brewing unit and an outlet orifice of the device is desired. In particular, a safe closing is desired when a receptacle is moved away from the dispensing area and/or disconnected from dispensing means to prevent projection or spillage of hot liquid. The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) offers additional benefits to the existing prior art, which will become apparent in the following description.